1981 AI plane hijack: Court issues NBW against five men

August 31, 2012 18:59 IST

A Delhi court has issued arrest warrants against five alleged Sikh terrorists, who were eported back to India in 2000 after serving a life term in Pakistan for hijacking an Air India plane to that country in 1981.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sameer Bajpai issued non-bailable warrants against the five in pursuance of a sessions court order which had earlier directed their fresh trial here in the same case of hijacking, but for different offences arising out of it.

ACMM Bajpai issued the warrants taking cognisance of the Delhi police charge sheet, which was filed against the five in 2011 on the sessions court's order earlier.

"In my opinion, there is sufficient material to proceed against the accused persons. I, therefore, take cognisance of the offences under sections 121 (waging war against Government of India), 121A (conspiring to commit certain offences against the state), 124A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian

Penal Code," said the ACMM.

The

five against whom the NBWs were issued are Tejender Pal Singh, Satnam Singh, Gajender Singh, Karan Singh Kini and Jasbir Singh Jima. The court ordered police was asked to execute the warrants by October 15.

The case against the five dated back to September 29, 1981

when they hijacked an Air India flight from new Delhi to Srinagar and forced it to land in Pakistan, where they were arrested and put on trial and sentenced to life imprisonments.

After serving their terms, they were deported back to India in 2000 after which one of them, Satnam Singh, moved the court here for his discharge in the case registered here in connection with the 31-year-old

hijacking incident.

Ironically, he was even discharged by another sessions court, which had said he can not be put on trial for the same offence twice as per the legal doctrine of double jeopardy, which prohibits double punishment for the same offence.